Since its debut last year, the Hyundai Staria has grabbed the attention of minivan aficionados due to its spaceship-like styling. After the passenger, commercial, and school bus variants, Hyundai launched a Staria-based camper van in South Korea, which could make a great competitor for the VW Transporter California and the Mercedes-Benz V-Class Marco Polo series.
The Staria Lounge Camper is based on the
highest trim of the Staria’s range, coming with all the tech and luxurious
features you would expect from a modern high-end minivan. Visually, it stands
you from its siblings thanks to the aerodynamic-optimized electric pop-up roof
extension and the side awning, which can transform it into a mobile camping
spot. Despite the extra bits, the total height is 2,095 mm, which
means it can fit in most underground garages.
The minivan is available in two variants
with eleven seats (Camper 11) and with four seats (Camper 4). In both cases the
rear seats fold flat, creating a bed that can comfortably sleep two adults,
while there is an extra double mattress for two more people on the pop-up roof.
In terms of spec, there is a choice between creamy white and abyss black pearl
shades for the exterior. Inside there is brown upholstery for the seats (black
for the 11-seater version) combined with a luxurious black and white cabin with
ambient LED lighting.
While the eleven-seater is all beds, the
four-seater has a pretty cool kitchen and storage module on the left side.
There you’ll find a 36 lt refrigerator, a sink for your
dishes, a 70 lt water tank, a 40 lt waste
tank, a detachable showerhead, a foldable table, and storage compartments for
cutlery. All features can be controlled by the foldable 12.1-inch touchscreen,
while the curtains in all windows will make sure you have enough privacy.
Moving outside, you’ll find the retractable awning with integrated LED, an
outdoors table sliding out from the tailgate, two foldable chairs, a mosquito
net for the rear door, and external power supply for your gear.
Under the bonnet, there is the 2.2-liter
CRDi turbo-diesel producing 174 hp and 430 Nm of torque. Power is sent to the front
wheels through an 8-speed automatic transmission, while optional all-wheel
drive is offered for those who want to go a bit further in their camping
holidays. In South Korea, pricing for the Hyundai Staria Lounge Camper starts
from ₩ 49.47 million (US$ 40,050) for the 11-seater and for ₩ 68.58 million
(US$ 55,520) for the four-seater. We don’t know whether Hyundai is planning on
exporting the camper van to other markets but we would love to spend a weekend
in nature with it.
Besides the Lounge Camper, Hyundai also
revealed the Lounge Limousine, a business van coming with seven or nine seats,
205 mm of extra headroom due to the roof extension, and luxurious
features like automatic electric side steps.
